Different Types Of Biosafety Cabinets
Bscs are available that either exhaust to the outside or recirculate hepa filtered air to the laboratory types of biological safety cabinetstwo classes of bscs are described in this section class i and class ii.
Different types of biosafety cabinets. While several different types of biological safety cabinet exist including class 1 class 2 class 3 see below all safety cabinets can be created and provided in accordance with the exact ergonomic and bio safety usage requirements of the laboratory. A biosafety cabinet bsc also called a biological safety cabinet or microbiological safety cabinet is an enclosed ventilated laboratory workspace for safely working with materials contaminated with or potentially contaminated with pathogens requiring a defined biosafety level several different types of bsc exist differentiated by the degree of biocontainment required. Class iii total containment cabinets. It has a common plenum from which 30 of air is exhausted and 70 re circulated to the work area as the downflow.
The cabinet exhaust needs to be connected to the building exhaust system. Negative pressure exhaust plenum note. The class ii type a biological safety cabinet is the most common class ii cabinet. When combined with appropriate microbiological.
Classification of biosafety cabinetclassification of biosafety cabinet class ii type b i biosafety cabinets a. The main differences between the types are the ratio of air exhausted from the bsc to the air that is recirculated within the bsc and the type of exhaust system present. This is recommended best practice. Class iii cabinets provide the highest level of personnel product and environmental protection.
It is also the most common safety cabinet of all the different types available. Supply hepa filter f. There are four types a1 a2 b1 and b2 of class ii bscs. Type a cabinets exhaust air directly back to the laboratory and.
C1 cabinets can be quickly changed from one mode to the other by connecting or disconnecting the exhaust and having the cabinet recertified. The type b2 total exhaust. About 90 of all biosafety cabinets installed are type a2 cabinets. Type b1 and b2 cabinets are also typically used for biosafety levels 1 through 3.
Exhaust hepa filter d. Type b2 cabinets must be hard connected to an exhaust system. As with type a2 cabinets type b1 cabinets can be used for work generating chemical vapors as long as the vapors do not interfere with the work when recirculated or when the work is done in the directly exhausted portion of the cabinet. Type c1 cabinets are unique in that they can operate as either a type a cabinet when in recirculating mode or a type b cabinet when exhausting.